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Nick Kyrgios recently weighed in on a controversial moment at the 2023 Laver Cup invloving a heated argument between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils during their singles tie.
Both players faced off in the third singles match on Day 1 of the prestigious tournament in Vancouver. During the first set, Auger-Aliassime was seen getting upset when Monfils sat on the bench between the points on his serve at 2-2. The Canadian No. 1 expressed his frustration to the umpire regarding the Frenchman evading a time violation.
After Auger-Aliassime held his serve, Monfils proceeded to have a chat with him about the issue. The Canadian insisted that he was playing the match with some seriousness, while the French veteran argued that he was at the tournament to have fun.
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios reacted to the incident on X, highlighting the contrast in the characters of players that a tournament like the Laver Cup brings out. He recalled one instance where he saw Auger-Aliassime meticulously jotting down notes during a match. Kyrgios then hailed Monfils as an entertainer to point out the difference in both players' natures.
"And this is the beauty of it!!! You see the contrast in players, personality and game styles….. I’ve been around FAA he is one of the most professional players ever, I remember him taking notes on the sideline one year, then you have La monf….. entertainer… epic. LETS GO!!!!!," Nick Kyrgios wrote on X.
A look into Nick Kyrgios' injury plagued 2023 season
Nick Kyrgios has barely played any tennis in 2023 due to injury troubles throughout the year. After having a fantastic 2022 season, where he won his maiden Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open and the ATP 500 Citi Open, the 28-year-old has only competed in one tournament so far this year.
The former World No. 13 could not play any tournament until June due to injury. In January, the Australian underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and then suffered a torn ligament in his wrist. This year, his lone ATP Tour appearance came at the Stuttgart Open, where he bowed out in the first round against Wu Yibing, 7-5, 6-3.
This prolonged hiatus has seen Kyrgios drop to World No. 472 on the ATP ranking. Last year, in addition to the achievement mentioned above, Kyrgios also reached his first-ever Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon (losing to Novak Djokovic) and the quarterfinals of the US Open. As a result, he once again returned to the top 20 ranking for the first time since February 2020 and became Australia's top-ranked player.
